Prayers and Poems for the Animals

Hear our humble prayer, O God,
for our friends the animals,
especially for animals who are suffering;
for animals that are overworked,
underfed and cruelly treated;
for all wistful creatures in captivity
that beat their wings against bars;
for any that are hunted or lost or deserted
or frightened or hungry;
for all that must be put death.
We entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity,
and for those who deal with them
we ask a heart of compassion
and gentle hands and kindly words.
Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals,
and so to share the blessings of the merciful.

Im really enjoying reading jasminedeers posts too, her and rainbows love of
nature and all its creatures coming out in their exchanges, this spirituality
board is enriched by people like yourself, rain, jasmine; people who carry
out Gods message of love in the way they live their daily lives caring for
nature and its little inhabitants.

There was a religious organization doing a "blessing of the animals" online the other day, but they were asking too much personal information so I did not participate.

When I was in Florida, a church near me did a yearly blessing of the animals and would put down a special plastic so the animals and their human companions of all denominations would enter church and participate (and the plastic was stuff that no one would fall or trip). I had a dog then and took the dog every year. And there was no fighting among any animals. This blessing of the animals was a celebration of the animals.

It was filled with birds, mice, gerbals, hamsters, dogs, cats and animals of all types. The one beagle would bay loudly when the choir was singing and I think it just added that special touch and what greater joy than to have that beagle raise his voice in song too. A parrot would spout off during the sermon about animals, as if he had to rejoice. The church would play the songs of the whales also as part of the celebration.

The church would be overflowing way out the door with people and animals and it was a great service to attend totally dedicated to all the animals. And the minister/reverend (I forget which) would invite anyone who wanted to, to come up to the front with their animal and have their animal receive a blessing. I always took my dog up and the minister/reverend would bless him and wish him health, strength and continued happiness in this world.

I moved to Arizona and unfortunately they have a blessing of the animals that is held in the heat AND OUTSIDE --and not under any trees. I don't go because it is too hot here during the day for animals.

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Where the path closed
down and over,
through the scumbled leaves,
fallen branches,
through the knotted catbrier,
I kept going. Finally
I could not
save my arms
from thorns; soon
the mosquitoes
smelled me, hot
and wounded, and came
wheeling and whining.
And that's how I came
to the edge of the pond:
black and empty
except for a spindle
of bleached reeds
at the far shore
which, as I looked,
wrinkled suddenly
into three egrets - - -
a shower
of white fire!
Even half-asleep they had
such faith in the world
that had made them - - -
tilting through the water,
unruffled, sure,
by the laws
of their faith not logic,
they opened their wings
softly and stepped
over every dark thing.

"Even half-asleep they had
such faith in the world
that had made them - - -
tilting through the water,
unruffled, sure,
by the laws
of their faith not logic,
they opened their wings
softly and stepped
over every dark thing."
___________________________________________________________________________

We too should be like this, "sure, steady stepping over every dark thing..."

Needing one, I invented her - - -
the great-great-aunt dark as hickory
called Shining-Leaf, or Drifting-Cloud
or The-Beauty-of-the-Night.

Dear aunt, I'd call into the leaves,
and she'd rise up, like an old log in a pool,
and whisper in a language only the two of us knew
the word that meant follow,

and we'd travel
cheerful as birds
out of the dusty town and into the trees
where she would change us both into something quicker - - -
two foxes with black feet,
two snakes green as ribbons,
two shimmering fish - - - and all day we'd travel.

At day's end she'd leave me back at my own door
with the rest of my family,
who were kind, but solid as wood
and rarely wandered. While she,
old twist of feathers and birch bark,
would walk in circles wide as rain and then
float back

scattering the rags of twilight
on fluttering moth wings;

or she'd slouch from the barn like a gray opossum;

or she'd hang in the milky moonlight
burning like a medallion,

this bone dream, this friend I had to have,
this old woman made out of leaves.

I was in Berlin, in winter. The light
was without light, the sky skyless.

The air white like a moistened loaf.

From my window, I could see a deserted arena,
a circle bitten out by the teeth of winter.

All at once, led out by a single man,
ten horses were stepping, stepping into the snow.

Scarcely had they rippled into existence
like flame, than they filled the whole world of my eyes,
empty till now. Faultless, flaming,
they stepped like ten gods on broad, clean hoofs,
their manes recalling a dream of salt spray.

Their rumps were globes, were oranges.

Their color was amber and honey, was on fire.

Their necks were towers
carved from the stone of pride,
and in their furious eyes, sheer energy
showed itself, a prisoner inside them.

And there, in the silence, at the mid-
point of the day, in a dirty, disgruntled winter,
the horses' intense presence was blood,
was rhythm, was the beckoning light of all being.

I saw, I saw, and seeing, I came to life.
There was the unwitting fountain, the dance of gold, the sky,
the fire that sprang to life in beautiful things.

I haven't been back to the park lately, but the discussion here of the geese, so reminded me of the Canadian Geese arriving in flocks at the lake there a while ago and when the many hundreds landed in the lake, they were honking at the humans walking by. I laugh out loud at their honking because it almost sounds like they are laughing at us humans and I so enjoy it.

I think it was either the ducks or the geese quite a while ago that were laughing/honking at two women in their 20s in "inappropriate" and revealing workout clothes at the park. They were exercising near the geese/ducks and the honking/laughing went out so loud and long that eventually the exercising women left. I was sitting in the car laughing so hard at the tremendous honking/laughing that I guess I had joined in too.

for animals. I have been soo very blessed, to have had the chance to rescue and foster. I miss doing it as much as I used to. This pup we just got was a rescue for sure, where she was so emaciated, and so sad. Now, she is happy and running like a healthy dog..I love seeing this..and she's ours.
TwoCats..I got a chuckle out of your beagle story. I fostered a Beagle, I know how they sound! I can almost hear that dog singing right along..too funny. They really do bawl, don't bark.
I love the interesting differences in animals. Different breeds, different personalities. Different cats, different personalities. Just like people!
I would say when I was in rescue and foster big time...I would find myself leaving notes on peoples cars or trucks if they had left a dog in the vehicle during the dead heat of the summer! But, I still do. Sometimes, I would stick around and wait..sometimes I would see them before they got into the store..just as I did a few weeks ago. We were having a warm time, I told the lady that it was going to get hot in there really quick. She didn't speak English very well, but I pointed to the car, and told her...don't be long, it's hot today! (I said it in a nice way) I also said, I've been with Humane Society and that this was wrong. She kept shaking her head yes,..saying..ok..then, she slowed down with her little girl that was with her. The little girl had a soda...she said no, no..and turned around with her child, making it look like she was upset that she had brought the soda can with her..but she got in the car..and left. ) Hope she didn't just go to another store.
I've even been to a yard sale..huge one, lot of people, and it was really hot out there, and walked around asking if "that" car was theirs. Finally found the people, told them that they need to get the dog cooled off, too hot for just the windows down..poor dog was panting and pacing. They went to the car, and left..yay! I'm a meanie..so they think. I just can't stand by and watch that going on. Sit in a car for just "one" min. when it's hot out there..it's miserable.
Ok, that's enough. I could go on and on about how animals are mistreated. Oh, one more..a home down the street, has two big dogs in a small kennel. I never see the dogs out, in the three years that I've lived here. Not much I can say about that. It's considered ok as long as they are fed and watered.
I look forward to the two times a day with my dogs..and my chickens. They know the time in the morning and evening..it's so funny to see the chickens come running, and the dogs know that the chickens are usually first..don't trust having the dogs out with them.
Love, love, animals! Thanks Windblade! Great post!!!!

Lord,
what a menagerie!
Between Your downpour and these animal cries
one cannot hear oneself think!
The days are long,
Lord.
All this water makes my heart sink.
When will the ground cease to rock under my feet?
The days are long.
Master Raven has not come back.
Here is Your dove.
Will she find us a twig of hope?
The days are long,
Lord.
Guide Your Ark to safety,
some zenith of rest,
where we can escape at last
from this brute slavery.
The days are long,
Lord.
Lead me until I reach the shore of Your covenant.

Amen.

The Prayer of the Rooster

Do not forget, Lord,
it is I who make the sun rise.
I am Your servant
but, with the dignity of my calling,
I need some glitter and ostentation.
Noblesse oblige...
All the same,
I am Your servant,
only...do not forget, Lord,
I make the sun rise.

Amen.

The Prayer of the Dog

Lord,
I keep watch!
If I am not here
who will guard their house?
Watch over their sheep?
Be faithful?
No one but You and I
understand
what faithfulness is.
They call me, "Good dog! Nice dog!"
Words...
I take their pats
and the old bones they throw me
and I seem pleased.
They really believe they make me happy.
I take kicks too
when they come my way.
None of that matters.
I keep watch!
Lord,
do not let me die
until, for them,
all danger is driven away.

Amen.

The Prayer of the Little Pig

Lord,
their politeness make me laugh!
Yes, I grunt!
Grunt and snuffle!
I grunt because I grunt
and snuffle
because I cannot do anything else!
All the same, I am not going to thank them
for fattening me up to make bacon.
Why did You make me so tender?
What a fate!
Lord,
teach me how to say

Amen.

The Prayer of the Donkey

God, who made me
to trudge along the road
always,
to carry heavy loads
always,
and to be beaten
always!
Give me great courage and gentleness.
One day let somebody understand me -
that I may no longer want to weep
because I can never say what I mean
and they make fun of me.
Let me find a juicy thistle -
and make them give me time to pick it.
And, Lord, one day, let me find again
my little brother of the Christmas crib.

Amen.

The Prayer of the Cat

Lord,
I am the cat.
It is not, exactly, that I have something to ask of
You!
No -
I ask nothing of anyone -
but,
if you have by some chance, in some celestial barn,
a little white mouse,
or a saucer of milk,
I know someone who would relish them.
Wouldn't You like someday
to put a curse on the whole race of dogs?
If so I should say

Amen.

The Prayer of the Owl

Dust and ashes!
Lord,
I am nothing but dust and ashes,
except for these two riding lights
that blink gently in the night,
color of moons,
and hung on the hook of my beak.
It is not, Lord, that I hate Your light.
I wail because I cannot understand it,
enemy of the creatures of darkness
who pillage Your crops.
My hoo-hoo-hooooo
startles a depth of tears in every heart.
Dear God,
one day,
will it wake Your pity?

Amen.

The Prayer Of The Ant

Lord,
I am always made out to be wrong;
a fable to the whole world.
Certainly I hoard
and make provision!
I have my rights!
And surely I can take a little joy
in the fruits of all my work
without some sob singer
Coming to rob my store?
There is something in Your justice
that I scarcely understand,
and, if You would allow me to advise,
it might be thought over again.
I have never been a burden to anybody,
and, if I may say so,
I manage my own business very well.
Then,
to the incorrigible improvidence
of some people,
must I, for all eternity, say

Amen.

The Prayer of the Little Ducks

Dear God,
give us a flood of water.
Let it rain tomorrow and always.
Give us plenty of little slugs
and other luscious things to eat.
Protect all folk who quack
and everyone who knows how to swim.

Amen.

The Prayer of the Ox

Dear god, give me time.
Men are always so driven!
Make them understand that I can never hurry.
Give me time to eat.
Give me time to plod,
Give me time to sleep.
Give me time to think.

Amen.

The Prayer of the Glow Worm

Dear God,
would You take Your light
a little farther away
from me?
I am like a morsel
of cinder
and need Your night
for my heart to dare
to flicker out its feeble star:
its hope, to give to other hearts,
what can be stolen from all poverty -
a gleam of joy.

Amen.

The Prayer of the Goat

Lord,
let me live as I will!
I need a little wild freedom,
a little giddiness of heart,
the strange taste of unknown flowers.
For whom else are Your mountains?
Your snow wind? These springs?
The sheep do not understand.
They graze and graze,
all of them, and always in the same direction,
and then eternally
chew the cud of their insipid routine.
But I - I love to bound to the heart of all
Your marvels,
leap Your chasms,
and, my mouth stuffed with intoxicating grasses,
quiver with an adventurer's delight
on the summit of the world!

Amen.

The Prayer of the Elephant

Dear God,
it is I, the elephant,
Your creature,
who is talking to You.
I am so embarrassed by my great self,
and truly it is not my fault
if I spoil Your jungle a little with my big feet.
Le me be careful and behave wisely,
always keeping my dignity and poise.
Give me such philosophic thoughts
that I can rejoice everywhere I go
in the lovable oddity of things.

Amen.

The Prayer of the Dove

The Ark waits,
Lord,
the Ark waits on Your will,
and the sign of Your peace.
I am the dove,
simple
as the sweetness that comes from You.
The Ark waits,
Lord;
it has endured.
Let me carry it
a sprig of hope and joy,
and put, at the heart of its forsakenness,
this, in which Your love clothes me,
Grace immaculate.

Like the cat he scratches the flea camping in fur.
Unlike the cat he delights in water up to his ears.
He frolics. He catches a crooked stick –
On his back he naps with legs straight up in the air.
Nelson shudders awake. He responds to love
From head to tail. In happiness
His front legs march in place
And his back legs spark when they push off.
On a leash he knows his geography.
For your sake he looks both ways before crossing,
He sniffs at the sight of a poodle trimmed like a hedge,
And he trots the street with you second in command.
In the park, he ponders a squirrel attached to a tree
And he shovels a paper cup on his nose.
He sweeps after himself with his tail,
And there is no hand that doesn't deserve a lick.
Note this now, my friends:
Nelson can account the heritage of heroic dogs:
One, canines lead the blind,
Two, they enter fire to rescue the child and the child's toy,
Three, they swim for the drowning,
Four, they spring at the thief,
Five, they paddle ponds for the ball that got away,
Six, for the elderly they walk side by side to the very end,
Seven, they search for bones but stop when called,
Eight, they bring mud to all parties,
Nine, they poke among the ruins of a burnt house,
Ten, they forgive what you dish out on a plate.

Nelson is a companion, this much we know,
And if he were a movie star, he would do his own stunts –
O, how he would fly, climb the pant legs of a scoundrel
And stand tall rafting on white-water rivers!
He has befriended the kingdom of animals:
He once ran with wolves but admittedly not very far,
He stepped two paces into a cave and peeked at the bear,
He sheltered a kitten,
He righted the turtle pedaling its stumps on its back,
Under the wheeling stars he caravanned with the mule,
He steered sheep over a hill,
He wisely let the skunk pass,
He growled at the long-bearded miser,
He joined ducks quacking with laughter,
Once he leaped at a pheasant but later whined from guilt.

Nelson's black nose is a compass in the wilds.
He knows nature. He has spied spires of summer smoke,
He circled cold campfires,
He howled at a gopher and scratched at the moon,
He doctored his wounds with his tongue,
He has pawed a star of blood left in snow.
He regards the fireplace, the embers like blinking cats,
This too we know about Nelson.
True, he is sometimes tied to parking meters
And sometimes wears the cone of shame from the vet's office.
But again, he is happiness.
He presents his belly for a friendly scratch.
If you call him, he will drop his tennis ball,
Look up, and come running,
This muddy friend for life. When you bring your nose
To his nose for something like a kiss,
You can find yourself in his eyes.